GRAND PORTAGE, MN — 'We feel the need to address some rumours," reads a Facebook post made Wednesday by Ryden's Border Store near Grand Portage, Minn.
The owners wrote that despite reports on social media to the contrary, "There has been zero reported incidents of vandalism in Grand Portage or Duluth towards Canadians."
They said they had even checked with a popular Duluth restaurant where Thunder Bay customers had reportedly experienced hostility.
"It's absolutely false," the Ryden's post said. "They (the restaurant) have also received over 50 calls regarding this."
A Duluth police department spokesperson and Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen each told Newswatch they have not received any complaints about vandalism or harassment targeting Canadians.
Ryden's is concerned about the loss of business from Thunder Bay travellers who might be dissuaded from crossing the border.
"We are all friends. We welcome you. Please don't let these false rumours stop you," their post stated.
They also wrote "There has been absolutely zero policy change at US Customs with normal Canadian travellers."
Nonetheless, traffic from Thunder Bay is noticeably down, at least partly because of the trade war launched by the U.S. administration and because of concern about the impact of tariffs.
"We've seen a pretty significant decrease in the number of Canadians that have been coming through. To put it into numbers, I guess it's been about a 35 to 40 per cent drop in March for sure," Ryden's store manager Jamie Spry said in an interview with Thunder Bay Television earlier this week.
Spry said unfavourable weather and the low exchange rate for the Canadian dollar have also impacted business, but he'd like to see the trade issues resolved.
"Right now, 95 per cent of our business is generally Canadian travellers or Canadians coming down to pick up their packages and whatnot, and we still see a fair amount, but it's declined. So yeah, we'd like to see everything get settled for both sides."
Spry said package deliveries are down, perhaps in part because "tariffs are scaring some people," but added that Ryden's is still seeing a lot of its long-time customers drop by.
He noted that Canadians are still allowed to bring up to CAD $800 worth of items purchased in the U.S. without paying duties if they have been stateside for at least 48 hours.
A stay of at least 24 hours allows an exemption for purchases worth up to CAD $200.
"I don't think people understand that they can still have their exemptions, and they can still bring things back without having to pay."
Data released by the Canada Border Services Agency shows the number of Canadian travellers nationwide returning from the US fell 19 per cent in February compared with the previous year, and by 27 per cent in March.
Statistics from U.S. Customs and Border Protection for southbound traffic at Pigeon River show similar declines.
- With files from Jonathan Wilson
